Exports down
but still
at record levels

Published: December 21, 2004 12:00 AM

U.S. Department of Agriculture officials expect lower export sales in fiscal 2005, according to revised numbers released recently.For the year, federal officials have forecast U.S. agricultural export sales of $56 billion, down from $62.3 billion for the current fiscal year.The decrease "is mostly due to record U.S. crop production, which mean lower prices for grains, oilseeds and cotton, and increased foreign competition due to larger supplies all around the globe," according to the USDA.The forecast, however, still represents the fifth-highest year for ag exports. Fiscal 2004 was a record high, followed by $59.9 billion in 1996, $57.4 billion in 1997 and $56.2 billion in 2003.Also of note, according to the USDA: "Sales of horticulture products will reach a record $13.8 billion, led by tree nut exports at $2 billion. Dairy product sales are unusually strong, and red-meat sales are supported by beef sales to Mexico and pork sales to Japan, Mexico and Canada." "Canada will remain the No. 1 market for U.S. agricultural products at $9.7 billion, while sales to Mexico of $8 billion are expected to surpass those to Japan of $7.7 billion. The European Union at $6.5 billion and China at $4.6 billion will round out the top five markets." The most recent forecast continues "a 40-year upward trend that will result in balanced agricultural trade in 2005. The growth in value of agricultural imports since 2002 is largely the result of higher prices of popular value-added products. "The rise in food imports is rather broad based, but two-thirds of the gain in value since 2002 is in seven groups. These are essential oils (an ingredient in food and beverage processing), snack foods, wine and beer, red meats, processed fruits and vegetables, fresh vegetables and miscellaneous grocery products."New CalendarsThe folks over at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center have put together a nifty calendar featuring shots around the Wooster campus, taken by OARDC employees.According to Kevin Power, a representatives of the OARDC staff council development committee (which produced the calendar), copies are available at the campus visitor's center or the Wooster Book Co. for $8 each.The calendar will take you from January (featuring a weeping tree in winter snow shot by Ken Chamberlain) to December (container pots in the snow by Robert Hanson). In between are tiny wasps and gypsy months, Rhododendrons and autumn fire and at least one barn.Fair timeThe Ohio Department of Agriculture has posted (on its Web site, at www.ohioagriculture.gov) next year's schedule of county fairs.Dates for Ohio's 94 county and independent fairs are featured in either chronological or alphabetical order (Wayne County, for example, is set for Sept. 10-15).The Pickaway County Fair in Circleville kicks off the season on June 18, while the Fairfield County Fair in Lancaster will close it. Three counties (Hamilton, Jackson and Putnam) will celebrate the 150-year anniversaries of their fairs, too.Local connectionFormer Wooster resident Elaine Turner, now an associate professor at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, recently received the National Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences. The honor includes a $5,000 stipend.Turner is a 1978 graduate of Wooster High School and the daughter of former Wooster residents R. Bruce and Roberta Curry.